Page 37 of Quadruplets for the Vipers (Never Just One #3)

Leah

T he safehouse is an unassuming farmhouse, miles away from any neighbors. It’s quaint if not a little rundown. Ashley produces a key from under the doormat and lets us in.

“Huh, the guys should be here already.” Noticing my panicked expression she reassures me. “Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s just the rain slowing them down, hardly suitable riding conditions. Come on in and get dry.”

This does nothing to calm my fears that something has happened to them. What if one of them crashes? Ashley’s right, this isn’t the sort of weather they should be out on their bikes in.

I follow her into the dark house, the floorboards creaking underfoot.

It has that musty, unlived-in smell. Switching on the light, Ashley gets to work lighting the fire that sits in the corner by the large, floral couch and armchairs.

Based on her familiarity I wonder if she’s been here before and ask her such.

“Yes, the guys and I met up here to discuss plans. I’ve actually been staying here,” she admits.

A sharp pang of jealousy runs through me imagining her here playing house with my men.

Though they aren’t mine anymore.

Are they?

Oblivious to my spiraling thoughts she continues, “Once we decided on the plan I didn’t feel like I could pretend with Lucifer, I was terrified I’d give something away and spoil everything.

The guys told me I was welcome to stay here.

I told Lucifer I had to go visit a sick aunt.

He’s been so busy building his empire with Tony and focusing on taking down the Steel Vipers that he hardly noticed me leave or cared. ”

She says this bitterly and part of me worries that she’s still under his spell, that if he were to call her up now and show her even the slightest hint of affection, she’d give me up in a heartbeat if it meant winning a scrap of his approval.

The guys’ absence feels even more worrying with this revelation.

If Ashley is lying to me, if this is a trap, I’ve walked right into it and I’m now alone in the middle of nowhere with this woman I hardly know.

But what would her end goal be? Tony already had me.

There’d be no need to trick me into coming here.

Jittery and on edge I begin to pace around the house, trying to get a feel for my surroundings, and more importantly, where the exits are should things go south.

I don’t like my chances if I am right about Ashley.

I’m soaking wet, pregnant, and tired. But at least thinking about ways to get me and my babies to safety makes me feel like I have some control in the situation.

“When will the guys be here? Have you heard from them?”

“Like I said, they should be here by now, I haven’t heard from them since they left, but I wasn’t expecting to.

It isn’t safe for us to communicate too often,” she says as she stokes the fire, the amber glow casting a long sinister shadow behind her.

Satisfied that the fire doesn’t need further stoking, she stands up and turns to me.

“Why don’t you go take a shower and put on some dry clothes?

There’s a bag with some of your things upstairs for you. ”

While that sounds amazing, I’m still wary.

I’d be even more vulnerable in the shower.

Perhaps it’s the flashes of lightning sharply bathing the room in harsh light, or the ominous sounds of thunder and torrential rain, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m in some sort of horror movie.

The remote location and missing friends do nothing to assuage that fear.

Every horror movie has the heroine being attacked in the bathroom.

“I’m okay, I think I’ll just sit by the fire and wait for the guys to arrive. You go on up first.”

Ashley raises an eyebrow and puts a hand on her hip. “Leah, your men are nothing if not protective, and when they come and find you in those old clothes, soaking wet, and filthy, I’ll be the one getting blamed. I promise, by the time you come back down, they’ll be here.”

When I still don’t move, tense like a fawn in a hunter’s sights, understanding crosses her face. She softens, her face crumpling with sadness as she realizes that she’s the villain in this narrative I’ve created.

“Leah, I swear to you, I don’t mean you any harm. I want to protect you and the babies. I promise nothing bad will happen to you up there.”

I sit there unmoving.

“Look, if I wanted to hurt you, I could have done it already,” she says.

While that’s not the most comforting thing to hear, she’s right. Again, I decide to trust her. Even so, I can’t shake the deep feeling of dread as I head to the staircase.

“The bedroom with your things is the first on the left, the bathroom’s at the end of the corridor,” she calls after me.

The stairs creak and groan as I ascend, something which comforts me, at least I’ll hear her, or anyone else, coming.

The first door at the top of the stairs opens to a cozy yet simple bedroom with just a bed, covered in a checkered quilt, two nightstands, and a wardrobe.

There’s a duffel on the bed which, on closer inspection, contains some clothes.

To my relief, the guys have chosen exactly what I would have if I’d been asked.

Basic comfortable underwear, warm socks, yoga pants, an oversized t-shirt, and a thick knit sweater.

Picking up the duffel with a smile at how well they know me, I continue to the bathroom.

I can’t resist peeking in the other rooms as I go.

There’s a small box room with a single bed, another with twin beds, and then a fourth room that’s almost identical to mine.

This is clearly the room Ashley’s been staying in, her belongings neatly put away in their correct places.

I find the bathroom at the end of the hall as she’d said.

Like the rest of the house, it has an old-fashioned charm.

There’s a large, claw-footed tub with a showerhead over it that dominates the room as well as a toilet and simple sink with a medicine cabinet above it.

The wallpaper above the tiles is peeling slightly, but otherwise, it’s clean and tidy.

The pipes groan as I turn on the faucet and wait for the water to get hot before climbing in.

I move slowly and carefully, the last thing I need is to slip in the tub and crack my head open.

The warm water soothes my chilled and aching bones.

I’d like to stay under the comforting stream longer, but I’m eager to get dressed and downstairs again as fast as I can, still feeling on edge.

As I’m pulling on my t-shirt, I hear a knock at the door. I smile to myself about my earlier paranoia. They were just held up, like Ashley said. But then I realize I didn’t hear any bikes…

Maybe the rain drowned them out. But the instinctual part of me, that ancient, buried part that senses danger deep down inside, tells me something isn’t right.

Creeping as quietly as I can, I move along the corridor, listening to the sound of Ashley’s footsteps and her pulling the chain on the door back.

I’m tempted to call out to tell her not to open it, to ask who’s there first. But what if she already knows?

“I was starting to get worried—” I hear her gasp as the person standing there isn't who she was expecting. “What a surprise,” she says, her voice shaking slightly despite her efforts to sound light and jovial. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

I dare to peek over the banister, trying to catch a glimpse of our mystery caller.

Ashley is holding the door firmly, blocking my view, her body language implies she’s contemplating slamming the door in the face of our guest. A foot pushes its way in, against the door, as if aware of what she was thinking.

Even before I hear his voice, I know who it is. Has he realized I’ve gone missing already?

“No, I’m sure you weren’t. But when Lucifer told me about your sick aunt, I just had to come and visit. Where is she?” Tony asks.

Did Ashley tell him where the safehouse is? I can’t believe she’d be that stupid.

But then another thought crosses my mind. One, that’s far more likely. This is all Tony’s little cat and mouse game. He let us have our fin, thinking we’d gotten away and now he’s here to enact his revenge. To her credit, Ashley doesn’t miss a beat. “She’s upstairs, sleeping.”

“Of course,” he agrees, going along with the charade. For now. But I know him, it won’t be long before he strikes. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“How did you find me, Tony? I don’t recall ever telling you where my aunt lives,” she asks casually, not budging an inch, and ignoring his question—but answering mine as to whether she’d told him where she was going.

“I make it my business to know everything there is to know about people who work for me. When Lucifer told me how sick your aunt was and that you were going to be out of town for a while I felt it was my duty to see how I could help. After all, imagine my surprise that you’d not mentioned this aunt to me, nor that you’d need time away from caring for my pregnant wife. ”

Tony’s voice is slick, smooth, and calculated.

He knows exactly what he’s doing, the web he’s weaving.

I feel sick to hear him refer to me as his wife.

To him I might as well be, all that’s missing is a piece of paper.

If I fall back into his clutches, it won’t be long before he makes it official. Then I’ll truly be trapped.

“Sorry, yes, I was going to tell you, and I’m not far away so I can still come to attend to Leah when I’m needed,” Ashley says shakily.

She’s still hoping that by some miracle, he hasn’t found out that I’m missing.

Perhaps he really is here on Lucifer’s behalf to check if her sick aunt is real or not.

But I know Tony too well. I’m under no illusion that he knows everything and the real reason that he’s here. He’s come for me.

“Well now, that’s where we have a problem, Ashley. You see, Leah’s missing.”

“Missing?” she replies, doing her best to act surprised. I wish I could tell her how pointless this all is, that she should just slam the door in his face and run. I stand rooted to the spot with indecision. If I do something to let him know I’m here, then things are only going to get worse.

All I know right now is that Tony is somehow here and the guys aren’t. That can’t be a coincidence, can it?

A sharp bark of laughter escapes Tony’s mouth. “You’re good, Ashley, I’ll give you that. Now, where is she?”

“I told you, my aunt is asleep upstairs, there’s no one else here.”

Tony sighs as if he’s growing tired of playing now. Suddenly, in a sharp, violent burst of energy, he pushes the door with all his might, catching Ashley off guard and knocking her to the ground. Tony strides into the house confidently.

His voice is calm and collected as he looks down at her. “Ashley, I know you were at my house tonight. And though Bruce was still unconscious when I left, I’m sure that once he wakes, he’ll confirm that you were the one who kidnapped my woman. The only question that remains is why?”

She scrambles to get up, “I didn’t—”

Smack!

He slaps her hard across the face with the back of his hand. The sound is so loud that I wince.

‘Don’t lie to me. Why help the Steel Vipers? What did they promise you?”

“Nothing. I swear, Leah isn’t here.”

All my doubts about Ashley’s honesty disappear. She really was telling me the truth. I should go down and help her. The old Leah would. But now I have four lives to worry about other than my own. Tony hits her again, harder this time and I swear I hear bone crunch.

Where are the guys? They need to get here, and fast.

He punches her again, almost knocking her unconscious. She won’t last long like this.

“The truth,” he demands.

“Okay, okay,” she replies, spitting blood. “I’m not lying when I say that I’m not working with the Steel Vipers, nor am I lying about Leah not being here. But you’re right, I did take her. But only because Lucifer asked me to.”

She’s caught his attention now. Mine too. Is this the truth? Or has she thought of some way to buy us time? If she was working with Lucifer, why lie about me still?

“And why would Lucifer do that?”

“Because he wants an insurance policy against you. Lucifer doesn’t like being second to anyone, not even you. Leah is your one weakness, he wanted to use her against you for more power.”

If it’s a lie, it’s a damn smart one. Tony will believe it, I’m certain.

“If she’s not here, then where is she?” he asks coolly.

“With Lucifer.”

I can’t see his face, but I can only imagine the triumphant gleam in his eyes.

“Well, now that, Ashley, is a lie because I happen to know that Lucifer is in the process of ending the Steel Vipers once and for all. One of their own betrayed them. That’s right, the cavalry isn’t coming.

Those four brutes everyone seems to love won’t be coming to the rescue, you’re all alone. ”

I feel sick with worry. As much as I don’t want to believe he’s telling the truth, I don’t doubt him. They’d be here by now if something hadn’t happened. Help isn’t coming.

We’re on our own.